PSG and Lyon meet in end-of-year summit in France

Sunday’s Ligue 1 clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon, the two clubs who have taken turns dominating French football so far this century, pits the stuttering reigning champions against opponents who have hit a rich vein of form. (AFP/File)
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Updated 13 December 2024
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PSG and Lyon meet in end-of-year summit in France

  • PSG head into the final round of Ligue 1 games this calendar year unbeaten domestically and with a five-point lead from nearest challengers Marseille and Monaco at the top of the table.
  • They have struggled to convince recently and have been held to draws in their last two domestic outings

PARIS: Sunday’s Ligue 1 clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon, the two clubs who have taken turns dominating French football so far this century, pits the stuttering reigning champions against opponents who have hit a rich vein of form.
PSG head into the final round of Ligue 1 games this calendar year unbeaten domestically and with a five-point lead from nearest challengers Marseille and Monaco at the top of the table.
However, they have struggled to convince recently and have been held to draws in their last two domestic outings, against Nantes and Auxerre.
At least they breathed life into their faltering Champions League campaign in midweek, a 3-0 win at Red Bull Salzburg calming fears that they might not make the knockout phase of Europe’s elite club competition.
Even then, coach Luis Enrique suggested his team had played better in earlier games against PSV Eindhoven and Atletico Madrid, neither of which they won.
“To be honest we didn’t play better than we did against PSV or Atletico. We were worse, but that’s football,” said the Spaniard.
All is far from rosy at the Parc des Princes, amid recent reports in the French media of a rift growing between the coach and certain players.
Their best performer this season has been young winger Bradley Barcola, who has scored 10 goals, but he has gone off the boil lately and will hope to find form again as he comes up against the club he left last year.
Lyon, who won seven consecutive Ligue 1 titles in the first decade of this century, have often been a thorn in PSG’s side even if they have won just one of the last eight meetings of the clubs.
After stumbling in the early weeks of this campaign, they look in superb shape just now, on a run of nine games unbeaten and just one loss in 15 altogether.
They have won their last four matches and scored at least three goals in each of them, including an entertaining 3-2 victory against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League on Thursday.
That game, in which Rayan Cherki was outstanding, saw Lyon secure a place in the knockout phase play-offs of the Europa League at least.
Domestically, meanwhile, they are currently fifth and would be just six points behind PSG with a victory in the capital. They cannot be written off right now.
The 21-year-old was a transfer target for PSG during the last close season but ended up staying at Lyon where he is now playing the best football of his career.
The gifted winger or attacking midfielder may yet leave Lyon in January due to his current club’s need to raise funds in the transfer market.
That would be a blow for Lyon coach Pierre Sage, who has seen Cherki score two goals and set up three in two games over the last week. Sage feels his player deserves to be in the next France squad.
“I think today Rayan is being watched and is under consideration,” he said of a player who featured sparingly in the France side that won Olympic silver.
“His experience at the Olympics was not very positive but now he has other arguments in his favor and, if he gets a call-up, he will deserve it.”

8 — Brest are enjoying a heroic campaign in the Champions League but have lost eight times in Ligue 1 this season — that is one more defeat than in all of the last campaign.
15 — Also doing well in the Champions League, Lille are unbeaten in 15 games before Saturday’s clash with Marseille.
6 — PSG have lost six times to Lyon in Ligue 1 since the transformative takeover of the club by Qatar in 2011. Only Rennes (7) have recorded more wins against Paris in that time.

Fixtures (times GMT)
Friday
Toulouse v Saint-Etienne (1945)
Saturday
Marseille v Lille (1600), Auxerre v Lens (1800), Reims v Monaco (2000)
Sunday
Montpellier v Nice (1400), Brest v Nantes, Le Havre v Strasbourg, Rennes v Angers (all 1600), Paris Saint-Germain v Lyon (1945)


New Zealand wins toss, elects to field against South Africa in tri-series

Updated 6 sec ago
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New Zealand wins toss, elects to field against South Africa in tri-series

  • New Zealand beat Pakistan last week in tri-nation series clash between both sides 
  • South Africa have entered series without seven of their Champions Trophy players

LAHORE, Pakistan: New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won his second successive toss and elected to field against an understrength South Africa lineup Monday in the cricket tri-nation series.
New Zealand had to make one forced change with opening batter Rachin Ravindra replaced by Devon Conway.
Ravindra sustained a blow on the forehead while fielding during New Zealand’s thumping 78-run win in the first match on Saturday against Pakistan and was rested for the second game.
Ravindra was struck on the head when he lost sight of the ball in what seemingly should have been a routine catch of Khushdil Shah at deep mid-wicket.
South Africa has entered the tournament without seven of its Champions Trophy players, who will arrive at Karachi over the weekend.
Matthew Breetzke, Mihlali Mpongwana, Senuran Muthusamy and Eathan Bosch were awarded ODI debuts on a wicket which Santner says “looks like another 300” pitch.
Glenn Phillips smashed his maiden ODI century as New Zealand rattled 330-6 in the first match.
___
Lineups:
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (captain), Ben Sears, Matt Henry, Will O’Rourke.
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Matthew Breetzke, Jason Smith, Kyle Verreynne, Wiaan Mulder, Mihlali Mpongwana, Senuran Muthusamy, Eathan Bosch, Junior Dala, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi.
 


England’s Bethell ruled out of Pakistan-hosted Champions Trophy— captain

Updated 58 min 26 sec ago
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England’s Bethell ruled out of Pakistan-hosted Champions Trophy— captain

  • Left-handed Jacob Bethell sat out second ODI against India with hamstring injury
  • England call up Somerset batsman Tom Banton on Sunday as cover for injured Bethell

NEW DELHI: Jacob Bethell is set to miss next week’s Champions Trophy after the left-handed batsman sat out the second one-day international against India with a hamstring injury.

The 21-year-old Bethell made 51 in the opening defeat last week, but was missing on Sunday as India took an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series in Cuttack.

The 50-over Champions Trophy begins on Feb. 19 in Pakistan and Dubai.

“I’m pretty sure (Bethell) has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy, to be honest,” captain Jos Buttler admitted after England’s four-wicket defeat.

“That’s really disappointing for him. Obviously, he played nicely the other day and has been one of the really exciting players,” he added.

“It’s a shame that injury is going to rule him out.”

England have not made an official statement on Bethell’s status, but they called up Somerset batsman Tom Banton on Sunday as cover.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Banton, 26, was due to arrive in India on Monday and join the England squad for the final match of the series in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

Banton has played in six ODIs, with a top score of 58 and averages 26.80 with the bat.

England’s first match in the Champions Trophy is against World Cup winners Australia on Feb. 22.

Final squads must be submitted by Feb. 12.


Eagles deny Chiefs historic three-peat in thumping Super Bowl win

Updated 10 February 2025
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Eagles deny Chiefs historic three-peat in thumping Super Bowl win

  • Thumping NFL victory delivers a second Super Bowl win for the Eagles franchise whose other title win was in 2018
  • It was a commanding performance throughout by the Eagles who totally dominated the championship match

NEW ORLEANS: The Philadelphia Eagles obliterated the Kansas City Chiefs’ bid to become the first NFL team to win three consecutive Super Bowls with a blowout 40-22 win in New Orleans on Sunday.
The Eagles defense was simply immense, smothering the Chief’s creative maestro Patrick Mahomes, and on offense their own quarterback Jalen Hurts led the way, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another as Philadelphia brutally avenged their 2023 loss to the Chiefs at Super Bowl 57.
Eagles dazzling running back Saquon Barkley grabbed 31 first-half rushing yards to break the all-time NFL record for most rushing yards in a regular season plus playoffs, to add icing to the Eagles’ championship cake.
Sunday’s thumping victory delivered a second Super Bowl win for the Eagles franchise whose other title win was in 2018.
It was a commanding performance throughout by the Eagles who totally dominated the championship match in front of a crowd that included US President Donald Trump and pop superstar Taylor Swift.
It marked the first time a sitting president had attended a Super Bowl and Trump watched the first half before leaving.
The Eagles set the tone for the contest by opening the scoring in the first quarter with their signature play – a goal line move they call the “brotherly shove” – with Hurts plowing into the end zone behind his powerful offensive line as his teammates forced him forward.
Eagles’ rookie defensive back Cooper DeJean picked off a poor pass from Mahomes in the second quarter to score Philadelphia’s second touchdown and Hurts then found A.J. Brown with a 12-yard pass to go into halftime 24-0 ahead.
Mahomes struggled mightily in the first half, throwing two interceptions while being sacked three times and completing just 6-of-14 passing attempts.
Things went from bad to worse in the second half for the Chiefs when Hurts found DeVonta Smith with a 46-yard pass for a fourth touchdown and take a 34-0 lead.
The Chiefs finally got on the scoreboard late in the third quarter through Xavier Worthy, but the game was sliding away at breakneck pace.
A DeAndre Hopkins touchdown, and a second for Worthy added some respectability to the score, but it was cosmetic, and would have come as little consolation to the battered Chiefs whose tilt at history was devastatingly denied.
Nobody had predicted the one-sided nature of the game – not Trump, not Swift, not Argentine World Cup winner Lionel Messi, hip-hop mogul Jay-Z or Beatle Paul McCartney who were all in the crowd – but the Eagles defense was awesome throughout, never giving the Chiefs a chance.
It was nothing short of a blowout to end a week when football took on a Mardi Gras flavor with New Orleans hosting the game for a record-tying 11th time.


Barca rout Sevilla to mantain title charge

Updated 10 February 2025
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Barca rout Sevilla to mantain title charge

  • Hansi Flick’s Barca climbed within two points of Los Blancos and moved one behind Atletico to crank up the tension in the title race

SEVILLE, Spain: Barcelona cut the gap on La Liga’s top two with an entertaining 4-1 win over Sevilla on Sunday, despite playing out the final half-hour with 10 men after Fermin Lopez’s red card.
Robert Lewandowski, Lopez, Raphinha and Eric Garcia struck for the Catalans, who were able to capitalize on leaders Real Madrid’s 1-1 draw with second-placed Atletico Madrid on Saturday.
Hansi Flick’s Barca climbed within two points of Los Blancos and moved one behind Atletico to crank up the tension in the title race.
Lewandowski’s early strike was canceled out by Sevilla’s Ruben Vargas, with Lopez and Raphinha pouncing early in the second half.
Lopez was sent off for a high tackle but Barcelona held out and extended their lead when Garcia nodded home late on.
“Today we had to win to stay in the title race and now we’re putting the pressure on,” Barca defender Inigo Martinez told DAZN.
“I think the team played a brilliant match and this is the way forward...
“If we stay secure and solid at the back, up front we all know what our forward are capable of.”
The match at Sevilla’s Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan stadium got off to an explosive start with teenage winger Lamine Yamal forcing Sevilla goalkeeper Orjan Nyland into a superb save with a curling effort.
Barcelona took the lead moments later from the resulting corner, played short, with Raphinha eventually crossing for Martinez to nod the ball across goal.
Veteran Polish striker Lewandowski prodded home from close range after seven minutes to reach 19 league goals and extend his lead as the division’s top goalscorer.
Sevilla were level almost instantly, with Ronald Araujo playing Saul Niguez onside and the Spaniard crossed for Vargas to turn home in the eighth minute.
Araujo’s unfortunate evening was compounded by an injury sustained when fouled by Saul, with Pau Cubarsi replacing him in the 22nd minute.
Barca stopper Wojciech Szczesny made a good save from an acrobatic Dodi Lukebakio effort as the hosts, 13th, gave as good as they got in the first half.
Flick sent on Lopez at half-time for Gavi and the midfielder scored and got sent off within the space of 15 minutes.
Lopez netted at the start of the second half, heading home from playmaker Pedri’s inviting cross.
Vargas netted from an offside position at the other end before Raphinha extended Barcelona’s lead with a vicious effort from distance in the 55th minute.
Lopez was dismissed for a rash high challenge on Djibril Sow on the hour mark, leaving the Catalans the job of protecting their lead with a man fewer.
Szczesny saved low from Suso’s drive but Sevilla created little else of note as Barcelona largely kept the Andalucians at arm’s length.
Garcia nodded home at the far post in the final stages as Raphinha’s deflected cross fell kindly to him to wrap up Barcelona’s emphatic victory.


Dubai Capitals clinch maiden DP World ILT20 title in thrilling final with Desert Vipers

Updated 09 February 2025
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Dubai Capitals clinch maiden DP World ILT20 title in thrilling final with Desert Vipers

  • Dramatic victory comes in a final over after Capitals set challenging target of 189
  • Rovman Powell leads fightback before Sikandar Raza seals win with unbeaten 34 from 12 deliveries

DUBAI: Dubai Capitals earned a dramatic four-wicket victory over Desert Vipers in the DP World ILT20 final on Sunday, securing their maiden championship title at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

The triumph saw the Capitals claim the winner’s prize of $700,000, while the Desert Vipers, who finished as runners-up, will walk away with $300,000.

The triumph saw the Capitals claim the winner’s prize of $700,000. (Supplied)

Chasing a challenging target of 189, the Capitals endured early setbacks, but found stability through the performances of Rovman Powell, Shai Hope, and Sikandar Raza.

Powell led the fightback with a well-crafted 63 off 38 balls, while Hope’s composed 43 ensured the chase remained on track. However, it was Raza who delivered the decisive late burst, smashing an unbeaten 34 from just 12 deliveries to see his team over the line in the final over.

The Capitals’ pursuit began on a shaky note, with David Warner falling in the second over, followed by quick wickets from Mohammad Amir that reduced them to 39 for three at the end of the powerplay.

Hope and Powell then steadied the innings, forging an 80-run partnership that reignited the Capitals’ hopes.

While Hope played the anchor role, Powell’s aggressive strokeplay, including two towering sixes, shifted the momentum in their favor. The partnership was eventually broken in the 14th over when Sam Curran dismissed Hope, but Powell continued his charge, reaching his half-century off 30 balls.

With 65 runs needed from the final five overs, Powell and Dasun Shanaka found the boundary regularly to keep the Capitals in the contest.

Shanaka made a brisk 21 off nine deliveries before falling to David Payne, while Powell, who had earlier survived a stumping off a no-ball, eventually departed for 63 in the 18th over.

As tension mounted, it was Raza who took control, striking three boundaries off Amir in the penultimate over before sealing the win with a six and a four in the final over, ensuring the Capitals secured their sixth consecutive victory over the Vipers.

Earlier in the evening, the Desert Vipers posted a competitive total of 189 for five, thanks to an excellent knock from Max Holden, who top-scored with 76 off 51 balls.

After losing openers Alex Hales and Rahmanullah Gurbaz early, Holden took charge of the innings, guiding the Vipers to 53 for two at the end of the powerplay. He reached his half-century in the ninth over and continued his fluent strokeplay despite being dropped at long-off.

His efforts were supported by Curran, who struck an unbeaten 62 off just 28 balls, and Azam Khan, who provided late acceleration with a 13-ball 27. The final push saw the Vipers add 67 runs in the last five overs, setting what seemed a formidable target.

Reflecting on his match-winning innings, Powell expressed his delight at delivering on the big stage, acknowledging the belief within the Capitals’ camp.

“The message was to stay calm. The tournament was quiet for me, but I wanted to prove myself in the final. Big players step up on the big stage,” he said.

Meanwhile, Curran, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, praised his team despite the loss, saying: “It was an amazing game. It’s tough to take the loss, but I’m proud of the team. The Capitals had our number this season, but hopefully, we go one better next year.”

As the tournament concluded, individual excellence was also recognized, with Hope claiming the Green Belt for finishing as the highest run-scorer with 529 runs.

Fazalhaq Farooqi of MI Emirates was awarded the White Belt as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 21 scalps in 11 innings.

Muhammad Waseem, also of MI Emirates, secured the Blue Belt as the best UAE player for a third consecutive season.